- "You don't follow me, friend. You follow this. The Ren."
- ―Ren, to Karrst and Filin
The Ren was a red-bladed lightsaber wielded by a Force-sensitive human male, also known as Ren, who gained the lightsaber and his name from his predecessor. The Ren served as a symbol of leadership of the Knights of Ren, a band of marauders that used the dark side of the Force. It was discarded on the Minemoon after Ren's death by the Jedi Ben Solo, who wielded a red-bladed crossguard lightsaber after taking control of the Knights as Kylo Ren.
Description[]
- "The Ren doesn't stop to worry about what it's burning or the right or wrong of it, or the goals it might achieve. The Ren just is. It lives, and it consumes, and it doesn't apologize. It is its nature and nothing else. I believe in that principle on a deep, deep level. In fact, I've dedicated my life to it."
- ―Ren, to Karrst and Filin
"Ren" was the name given to a red-bladed lightsaber and its wielder, a Force-sensitive human male known as Ren. Ren believed in an ideology based on the lightsaber, in which the Ren was simply "its nature, and nothing else," and that the Ren had no remorse and was not concerned with right or wrong or the goals it might achieve. The lightsaber was equipped with a kill switch that activated a self-destruct mechanism, which would only activate the detonation of the weapon if it left his hand. According to Ren, the resulting explosion was strong enough to destroy everyone and everything in its proximity.[3] There were four bent prongs on the bottom hilt and multiple tiny blocks that encircled the emitter ring[4]
History[]
- "A red blade. Whoever you think you are…you are not worthy of that weapon."
"You don't decide my worth. But I earned everything I have, this thing included. I took it from the one who held my name before me. An old name. A name of power." - ―Darth Vader and Ren
The lightsaber known as "the Ren"[1] was wielded by Ren of the Knights of Ren. At some point, a human male took Ren's lightsaber and name, eventually becoming the leader of the Knights.[2]
During the war between Crimson Dawn and the Sith, Ren engaged in a lightsaber duel with the Sith Lord Darth Vader in Fortress Vader on Mustafar. Noting the red color of Ren's blade, the Dark Lord of the Sith told Ren that he was unworthy of the lightsaber as they dueled. Ren defended his use of the lightsaber by stating that he earned it, having taken the lightsaber from its previous wielder. Though injured by Vader's lightsaber, Ren survived his encounter with the Sith Lord and escaped from the fortress along with the remaining Knights.[2]
At one point, Ren explained the Knights' philosophy through the lightsaber to Karrst, a Force-sensitive criminal and prospective recruit. However, Karrst was killed by Filin, his brother who tried to take his place with the Knights. While Filin's actions met with Ren's approval, he lacked his brother's connection to the Force and was consequently killed by the Ren.[1]
During the New Republic Era, Ren used the lightsaber when fighting Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, his apprentice, Ben Solo, and Lor San Tekka[3] in 19 ABY.[5] By 28 ABY,[6] Solo turned to the dark side of the Force, killed Ren in a lightsaber duel, and used the fallen dark knight's lightsaber to kill the Jedi apprentice Voe. Solo discarded Ren's lightsaber, leaving it next to Voe's body on the Minemoon, and changed his blue-bladed Jedi lightsaber into a red-bladed crossguard[7] Sith lightsaber[8] that he wielded as Kylo Ren—the master of the Knights of Ren[9] and later Supreme Leader of the First Order.[10]
Appearances[]
- Crimson Reign 1
- Crimson Reign 4
- Bounty Hunters 25
- Crimson Reign 5
- Hidden Empire 1
- The Rise of Kylo Ren 1 (First appearance) (In flashback(s))
- The Rise of Kylo Ren 2 (In flashback(s))
- The Rise of Kylo Ren 4
Non-canon appearances[]
- LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales (In flashback(s))
Sources[]
- Star Wars: The Lightsaber Collection
- "Kylo Ren and Other Followers of the Dark Side" — Star Wars Encyclopedia
- Star Wars: The Mini Book of Lightsabers (First identified as the Ren's lightsaber)
- Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy (Indirect mention only)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 The Rise of Kylo Ren 1
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Crimson Reign 4
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Rise of Kylo Ren 2
- ↑ Star Wars: The Lightsaber Collection
- ↑ Skywalker: A Family at War states that the Mission to Elphrona took place the year Ben Solo turned fourteen. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary establishes that Solo was born twenty-nine years prior to the Hosnian Cataclysm, which Star Wars: Galactic Atlas dates to 34 ABY. Therefore, the mission took place in 19 ABY.
- ↑ Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary states that the destruction of Luke Skywalker's Jedi temple occurred six years before the Starkiller Incident. Since Star Wars: Galactic Atlas dates the Starkiller Incident to 34 ABY, and the events of The Rise of Kylo Ren 4 are set shortly after the temple's destruction, it can be deduced that the events of The Rise of Kylo Ren 4 are set around 28 ABY.
- ↑ The Rise of Kylo Ren 4
- ↑ Supreme Leader Kylo Ren in the Databank (backup link)
- ↑ Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens
- ↑ Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi